Beautiful People: Arthur (surprise, surprise)

It is no surprise that I'm using this month's Beautiful People for my King Arthur tale (it may be a surprise that I'm posting at all, but enough about that). This time, though, I'm actually using it for Arthur himself.
Who would've thought, right?


1. Do they know their biological parents? Why/why not?
He knew his biological mother for several months before she died. His father was killed before he was born. He was not raised by his biological mother, which is why he only knew her for a few months.

2. Have they inherited any physical resemblances from their parents?
Yes. He has his mother's nose, his father's green eyes, and his father's light brown hair (his mother's hair is a darker brown). He has more of his mother's build than his father's, being less muscular and broad-shouldered than his father and eldest brother.

3. What's their parental figure(s) dress style? Add pictures if you like!

This is not a picture of his parents, but the dress is similar to what they'd wear, except that the man's clothing would be finer, less plain. You know, medieval royalty stuff.

Also something like either of these:

4. Do they share any personality traits with their parental figures? And which do they take after most?
Hmm. Gwenore (his mother) was very mild when calm but easily excited emotionally; she was smart but she always hoped for the best in people. Uther was kind and well-meaning; he was not as mild when calm or as easily excited as his wife. He was very even-keel. Arthur hopes for the best, as his mother did; he looks out for the good of others and is even-keeled like his father. His non-biological father, Virgil, was very honest and hard-working; Arthur takes after him there. He probably takes after his father more.


5. Do they get on with their parental figure(s) or do they clash?
He didn't have time to clash with either one. With Anna and Virgil, who were not his real parents but the people he thought of as his parents he got on well.

6. If they had to describe their parental figure(s) in one word, what would it be?
 (I'm going to cheat and say one word or a three-word phrase)
Gwenore: Loves her sons
Uther: Upright


7. How has their parental figure(s) helped them most in their life?
Virgil taught Arthur to work hard and to be self-sacrificing, which is just as important for a king as for a blacksmith. Gwenore gave him a new family; at the time he didn't appreciate this but when his adoptive-family wasn't there any more he greatly appreciated having his brothers.

8. What was their biggest fight with their parental figure(s)?
Hm. Again, he never fought with Gwenore or Uther. I don't know that he ever had any huge fights with his parents, none that really hurt their relationship or that they didn't get over quickly.

9. Tracing back the family tree, what nationalities are in their ancestry?

Well, there is some British, before that there was British, before that there was more British... Seeing a theme here?

10. What’s their favourite memory with their parental figure(s)?

His eighth birthday. His father (Virgil) gave him a real sword. Not a thing of beauty, but Arthur was very proud of it. He didn't have the struggles of kingship or poverty or knowing he wasn't their real son, then. It was a very peaceful birthday. The first time his mother (Anna) took him riding is a special memory, too. She was just going over to the next village, but she couldn't leave him behind because he was only five. He was too little to walk the whole way but too big to be carried. He'd never gotten to ride the horse before and from then on he loved horses. (They probably never even cantered but for a five year-old a quick trot from the top of a tall horse is very exciting).

"His name is Arthur Pendragon."

A bit of this, a bit of that

So, I promised snippets of a fairy tale. This fairy tale is distantly related to The Glass Coffin, but only distantly, mind. The Land Where Time Was Torn Asunder acknowledges the relationship, but as Lady Dalrymple acknowledges Sir Walter, not as Sir Walter acknowledges Lady Dalrymple.
Well, you're not going to get any.










… Just kidding. That'd be unfair of me after so expressly promising them. So here is one measly sentence:

There were huge leaves the size of her face, small leaves clustered alongside the dirt path, and little brown plant like things with no leaves at all and smooth caps like the underside of an acorn.

I picked that completely randomly from the story. And that's all you're going to get, for now. Because this little story is barely 2000 words (this post is already almost 100 words) and if I shared much more I'd be giving you 10% of the story, and that seems a little much.





… Oh, alright. If I MUST.

She opened the lid.

You must excuse me, this being my first real post in SUCH a long time, I'm having a lot of fun with it (being ovvvverrrrllllyyy dramatic gives me waaaayyyy to much amusement).

For real now:

When she had gotten over her initial hour of mute shock, Jesen announced (rather verbosely) that she found the whole affair to be unjust, unwise, and unfair, not to mention rude. She marched to her mother’s chambers, entered unbidden, and began talking as soon as she sighted her mother, who was sitting at her dressing table having her hair done by one of her maids. She pleaded, wheedled, and appealed to her better nature by turns. She argued fiercely against the wisdom of such an alliance, produced mostly true facts concerning the defects of the Prince of Veris’s character, and even threatened to run away.

However unable to provide you with satisfactory amounts of snippets from my grand fairy tale escapade, I am quite able to produce some satisfactory examples of little ol' Arthur. I am quite pleased with myself for having written 4 words short of 2000 words yesterday. The change of scene and pace which took the form of a 2-week trip seems to have had goo (oh my, not goo, good – where are my words going to? Perhaps it has something to do with my cold. Don't worry, germs don't go through computers. Honest!) effects on my creative powers. I left with little motivation or inspiration; I come back with words pouring from my fingers. It's quite pleasing.
Sniff sniff, Arthur's getting so old now (I just have a cold, honestly, it's not that emotional). I started writing on January 7, 2012 – I wasn't yet thirteen. And now I am sixteen ("It cannot be!" spoken in the voice of Queen Genevieve from you-should-know-what).
This is really much more than a snippet – I should be correct and call it a scene. I know most people share only a few sentences at a time when doing snippets, but if I'm going to share something I think is actually good I want to share the whole thing.

He had taken a break at lunch and rode through Thyme-Sage with Galilea. He had seen that he was taller, and far more richly dressed than the beardless boy who had carried buckets to that stream. He had seemed to see shadows of himself: one was coming out of that boarded up house and walking with swinging step into the forest; and there was the boy, holding his first sword with such pride, though it was a heavy, awkward thing; there he trained Galilea in that meadow, and dug potatoes in that plot for his mother.

Arthur had swallowed a lump in his throat as he had stepped back from the window he had been peering in. He had swung up on Galilea and surveyed the town. However changed he was, the town had seemed untouched by time. The baker had been selling a roll to the cobbler; they had not recognized Arthur. Well, I hardly recognize myself, Arthur thought to himself, bringing himself out of the remembrance of his ride by shuffling the papers on his desk.

He stood up, and looked in a little mirror that hung in his study. Where had that stubble come from? His eyes were hazel green, like his brothers, but they did not crinkle like Kay’s or have the wisdom of Rayfus’s; they were more serious than he had remembered them. Funny that I never noticed how unlike Virgil and Anna I am. That straight nose is nothing like Virgil’s bulbous one; it is Igraine’s. My hair is lighter than either Kay or Rayfus’s, but isn’t nearly as light as Anna’s is – was.

That almost makes me cry. Not really. It's just moooooving.

Do you think he’s a criminal in disguise?” Kay said in a low voice. Arthur started a little. Kay smiled. “I don’t much like the man either, Arthur,” he added in normal tones, “but if there’s one thing you should learn about court, it’s to keep your real thoughts to yourself.”

That's all for today. I've got dinner to eat, you know.

P.S. Thanks to the Author for her tutorial on To Write or Not To Write on adding borders to posts!

A few favorite quotes and verses

I can't tell you how many times in my month-long absence I've clicked "new post". I've been busy, as I wrote about in my last post. I think of things to say… and just never get around to saying them. It occurs to me that I have other things to do, or I don't have enough things to say to fill one post, or do I really feel like writing a post right now. This post alone has almost become a quotes post, then I was going to do a Top Ten Tuesday post (twice) then went back and decided to do a quotes/verses post again.
There will probably *SNEAK PEAK* be a sewing tutorial in the next month, the nature of which shall be revealed to you… then. I'm working on another short-story fairytale (as well as plugging slowly along with Arthur) so probably I'll be posting some snippets of that soon (that is if I keep on track of writing it…).
I don't know about you, but I'm super excited about school ending. Being homeschooled, it's not all ending at the same time, and some will go through the summer. But math and chemistry were both over last Friday (EEK!). I liked chemistry, I really did. But just now I'm the gladdest I've ever been about school being done. Tomorrow we're leaving for a two-week trip, the longest trip I've ever been on. It will be a sorely needed break.
In the meantime before I post about wildly mysterious tutorials or hopefully-interesting story snippets, I decided to post a few favorite quotes and Bible verses. Because that's a lazy man's post. And I'm lazy (really this post is mostly just to let you know I'm still alive and I didn't quit on you, you know).

~

I will hold to principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad – as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this... If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth?

-Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë

I really think that is such a great quote. If people actually understand that, think of how things would be different (ie, perhaps there would be no divorce, because people would remember those vows that were made for such moments as this. You don't need the vows when you're having fun, do you?)

~

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
-C. S. Lewis

This makes me think of the Bible verse, 1 Corinthians 15:19, 'If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men'. Jesus can't just be a morally sound teacher. If he didn't die and rise again being a Christian is pointless.

~

For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. Psalm 33:4

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. Psalm 36:5-6

I was thinking today how when I fail, I think, 'God is surely tired of this. Because I've been unfaithful over and over, he will stop being faithful – it is his right.' But his faithfulness is so much more than mine, he is even more faithful than any measure of fairness says he should be. Because God isn't fair; he is merciful. Think of the whole surface area of the earth, filled from the ground to the clouds with faithfulness. I think that's pretty awesome (in the truest sense of the word).

~

If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.

C. S. Lewis.

Okay, I told myself I wouldn't make a comment on this because I've made a comment on all the quotes so far, but I really love this quote. So often I have this longing for more. Longings to go to Narnia, to Middle Earth, to live a fairy tale – longings however many book-readings or book-writings or imaginary game-playings can't satisfy. And it is such a comfort to me to know that in heaven, it will be satisfied.

~

Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters; 
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks,
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
The Lord gives strength to his people;
The Lord blesses his people with peace.

Psalm 29

Till later,

I am Awdur

Life. Life has been insane. The last three months in general and the last three weeks in particular have been so crazy and busy. Going to KC about once a week (soon to be twice a-week as we nanny for Frances!), Alice in Wonderland play practice (performance next weekend, yikes), school (chemistry and pre-calculus/algebra stuff are both a little overwhelming right now), piano (recital beginning of May), going 3.5 hours away to visit relatives two weekends in a row, getting ready for our homeschool Formal dance (first time… that'll be interesting, to say the least), and oh, yeah, trying to have a social life while keeping writing and reading. I'm not complaining; please don't take it as that. I like busyness. Even this has been a little much for me, though! ;) Through everything, God is good. He understands. Everything.

I used to think I was easy-going, not emotional, logical, efficient, motivated, smart, graceful, that I had a good memory… All these things that I've at times put my identity in (particularly in efficiency, in that I can get things done and work hard) have, in the last few weeks, turned themselves inside out. I've been irritated and snappish. I've been emotional. I've had little motivation to get things done and when I have the time to get things done I often read instead. Right now, even writing sounds like a task, not a recreation. I have been clumsy, forgetful, and school has been tough.

I had a writer's group meeting today. It was good. I enjoyed eating cranberry scones drinking tea discussing books and writing, although, you know, it's not all positive critique! It's what I need. But it can make writing less exciting and fun, especially when I feel un-motivated as now. I am adding in a character into Arthur who is based on a friend of mine, a staff member at my youth group. It's tough, writing dialogue about a real person! It is fun, too.

Sometimes, like today, I realize how I am different. Many friends of mine have all read a similar range of books, most of which I have not. These friends also all enjoy darker things than me, have similar opinions on subjects which are different than mine. I know that dark things happen, and perhaps it is perfectly true that people need to write about those things, but other pens can cover those topics than the pen of Awdur. I like happy endings. I like beauty and light and harmony, not horror, darkness, depression. The former are what I like to read about and write about. Not saying it's necessarily wrong to read/write about dark things, but it's just not me. And sometimes I do feel it's wrong. Aren't we as Christians called to think about things that are lovely, pure, praiseworthy? Again, I know that it is impossible to never think of the bad things that happen in the world, without insulating ourselves completely from every human, but to focus on it... I don't know.

As I mused, coming home, about the meeting, and told my dearest friend and my Lord about everything (I sometimes think the Bible says not to complain because it gives us the dearer pleasure of unburdening ourselves to him), I thought to myself, that I do not need to feel shy or lesser or at all awkward when my friends have things in common that I don't understand. I am me. I am Awdur. I don't need to be exactly like all my friends. I don't need to be completely understood by them – I don't even believe that is possible. Not even my husband, I think, will understand me entirely. God, though, understands. He made Awdur. He knows me. All throughout the last five years, my growing years in our relationship, since I really began to seek him, I have doubted his love and I have struggled and I have failed. I never, though, doubted that he understood me. That he gets me. Oh, Jesus, thank you, for getting me. For knowing me. For accepting me and wanting me.

Grammar wise, concise-wise, sticking-to-the-point-I-started-with-wise, this post is poorly written. I started talking about my crazy life and ended with talking to God. Started many sentences with coordinating conjunctions, used run-ons and fragments. This is raw me. This is Awdur.


Keep on after the Lord, my friends.